One Night
by laadeedah6
Summary: Jack & Erica after the events of Siege


Jack sat down on the bed, his mind reeling. The day had been one of the most emotional that he had experienced in a long time. He stared at his hands for a minute not sure what to do. He glanced around the hotel room. There was a television set with knobs that were barely hanging on. The bed creaked with each shift of his weight. The dim lamp offered barely enough light to read by. So Jack just sat trying to collect his thoughts.

She loved him. Of course she did, she hadn't wanted the divorce. Joe did. She obviously had some unresolved feelings for him. When they talked a few months ago she had said everything shy of admitting it right out. Ty was her world now and that had ended when he walked out that door. When she walked down those stairs, the look on her face made his blood freeze in his veins. She had changed. For the better? Maybe. Jack was not sure yet. Her behavior was reminiscent of the first few interactions they had. She was angry, determined, not willing to open herself up. He knew it would take time. He didn't know how long though.

The way she looked at Hobbes. Jack wasn't sure what it was that disturbed him. Was it desperation? Was she going to open up to him? Jack felt that Hobbes would offer her nothing but pain. That is not what she needed now. But maybe it was the kind of like when you are massaging a knot out of your muscle, one kind of pain produces a form of relief.

Jack stood up, now he was restless. Food, he needed food. He didn't remember when the last time he ate was. He walked out the door quickly, escaping the dusty maroon colored prison. The air felt cool, the breeze coming off the harbor. He closed his eyes. Freedom, this is what it felt like. He rapidly walked towards the lights that blinked mockingly at those who dared venture out at night. A couple sauntered by wrapped in each other's arms. The guy was wearing a letterman's jacket, the girl a miniskirt. Jack's mind went back to a time when … He shook his head, too much has happened. He could never go back there.

He ordered some Chinese food, though not his favorite it reminded him of when he and the other members of the Fifth column had an exceptionally late meeting. Erica had brought some Chinese take-out to share with everyone. Jack wanted to be polite. So he quietly ate it watching as the others laughed and joked about their fortunes inside the sweet cookie. They shared in turn each fortune, Hobbes in true form adding "in bed" to his prompting laughter from all, even Jack. Erica had been so beautiful, laughing and smiling. When it came to Jack's turn, he hesitated, "Um, I thought that if you read your fortune out loud it will not come true," adding a wink. Erica laughed, "Come on it's only fair!" Jack smiled, "Okay, here goes, A mysterious stranger will come to you." "In bed" Ryan quipped, prompting another round of laughter and even tears from Erica. Jack laughed and tucked the fortune into his pocket. Erica had given him a ride to the church later that night. She and he talked over the nights events. He thanked her and quickly entered the church. He pulled the fortune out of his pocket reading, "The love of your life is closer than you think." He carefully slid the fortune into his wallet.

Jack received his order and walked back to his room. He opened the door, and stopped. He turned on his heels, shut the door, and walked to where he thought a park was. An hour later, standing in front of Erica's dark house he hesitated. He felt an overwhelming impression to knock anyway. He knocked, at first hesitantly, then more forcefully. He heard the lock click, and a rather disheveled woman stood in the doorway.

She was wearing the same clothes she had had on earlier, but there was a slight smear of mascara on the sleeve. "Jack? What, what are you doing here?"

Jack, realizing that this was a mistake blurted out, "I thought that maybe you would be in the mood for some Chinese food. The guy gave me way more than I can eat, and I uh, well I don't like Chinese that much."

Erica smiled a bit, and said, "Sure, sure come on in. I haven't been able to relax anyway."

Jack walked in glancing around the room. It was dark, dark and cold in spite of the light that Erica turned on. He turned to Erica, she looked so lost. He asked, "Um, could I possibly heat this up a bit? It's probably a little cold." Erica shook her head as if to clear it, "Yeah, follow me."

Jack followed her into the kitchen and proceeded to heat the food in the microwave and dish the food onto two plates. Erica sat at the bar, just staring into space. She stirred a little when Jack served the plates. As if just realizing he was there she said, "Oh, I have some wine in the fridge if you would like some."

Jack smiled slightly, "Na, I'm fine." He poured two glasses of water and set them by the plates. Erica absently picked at the food. Jack did the same. He looked up to see tears sliding down Erica's face into her chicken stir-fry. He tried to think of something to say. He couldn't. He just took the plates away and carefully guided her to the couch, setting her down. He put his arm around her as she sunk into him, her whole body relaxing completely. She began to cry, not the adult way, restrained and solemn, but the way a child weeps when their entire world seems to be collapsing. It tore Jack up. All he could do was hold her. His noticed his shirt was getting more and more wet. He didn't care. He knew that she needed him and he would not leave. Eventually her sobs subsided to slight hiccups. Realizing what she had done, she shook her head, mumbling something about needing to use the bathroom. Erica jumped up and ran. Jack just sat there. In the past he would have somewhere to go, some boundary to fall on but not tonight.

Erica emerged face washed, breathing under control, with only her eyes betraying the previous hours events. Jack just stayed put on the couch, watching her, wondering what to do next. She sat back down, "Jack I am so sorry," she mumbled more to the floor than to Jack. Jack following suit just nodded. "It's okay. You have been through so much. I should be the one who is sorry."

Erica smiled at his awkwardness. He was her rock, her stalwart, but for how long? It seemed like everyone was leaving her or losing her trust. The other night discussing what he could do for Tyler, it all seemed for naught.

Jack took her hand, Erica relaxed more. Normally this sort of situation would require Jack to enlist all the self-control he could. But tonight, she needed a friend. He wished with all his heart he could take all her pain away. He often had these feelings as a priest. But he was able to forget them. It was up to the individual to ultimately fix the problem. But with Erica, he wanted to fix it for her, he wanted to protect her, he wanted to keep her from all these problems. He felt tears stinging his eyes, but he hurriedly blinked them away. They continued to sit in silence. Words were too laborious. He began to rub her back gently, she sighed, and her eyes closed. As her breathing evened out, Jack stayed waiting until she seemed to be sound asleep. He shifted slightly grabbing the throw on the back of the couch and awkwardly draped it over her shoulders. She moaned slightly and snuggled closer. She briefly opened her eyes, "Jack don't you need to go back to the church?"

Jack, taken off guard, said, "I, uh, no. I don't need to go back." Erica looked at him quizzically, but then closed her eyes again. Her breathing became deeper and deeper. Jack glanced at his watch, 3:30 glared back at him. He laid his head back, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was a new fight and a new battle, but tonight Erica was at peace and that is all that mattered.


End file.
